Finally, Some Last Picks Make It

By all rights, defensemen Kim Johnsson and Hans Jonsson should be long forgotten. They're not, and they give hope to any player who has to agonize through 285 names before hearing his.

Johnsson, 25, just completed his second season with the New York Rangers. Jonsson, 27, just completed his second season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. What do they have in common, other than being countrymen, other than playing the same position and other than having the same pronunciation of last names (YON-son)?

Both were selected last in their drafts. Johnsson was No. 286 in 1994. Jonsson was No. 286 in 1993. Yet, several years later, they have made it and are key contributors to their clubs' defenses.

Ingenious scouting, right?

Well, when it comes to Johnsson, former Rangers General Manager Neil Smith cannot tell a lie. As a fan would do in the latter rounds of a fantasy draft, Smith scanned the list of available candidates, closed his eyes and blurted out a name he had never heard.

"I never saw the kid play before. I didn't know the name. I just pulled it out of a hat," Smith said. "All I knew was Kim was an odd name for a male."

The last thing Smith could have imagined was that he was choosing the man who would be the only player left on the Rangers from the 1994 draft.

"It was the last pick in the draft in Hartford and I only had a few thoughts," Smith said. "I was thinking, `Are all our bags packed up? And what time's the party starting so I can get a beer?'"

Smith, however, is quick to point out that Rangers European scout Christer Rockstrom is the real reason Johnsson was unearthed.

"He was not a star when he was in his 16 to 18 years, not like [Niklas] Sundstrom, who was always a star," Rockstrom said. "But he has made himself better every year. Basically, every month he made a small step forward. He's just a product of hard work, and he did it on his own. I didn't do it, and the Rangers didn't do it."

Johnsson moves the puck quickly and has the ability to read plays and break them up before they happen. He also is a decent skater who gets the puck on net. He has 11 goals and 47 points in 151 games over two years.

Pittsburgh's Jonsson is also the only Penguin left from the 1993 draft. Penguins scout Greg Malone wanted to take Jonsson in 1992 and wasn't able to. He made sure the Penguins didn't pass him up a year later, although they came close.

Jonsson had three goals and 14 points as a 26-year-old rookie. He led the Penguins' defensemen this season with four goals, 18 assists and a plus-11 in 58 games. It took him a while to get to Pittsburgh. A year after the Penguins drafted him, he broke his leg and missed several months, which slowed his development.

He nearly fell off the charts but resurfaced at the World Championships year after year. Finally, Pittsburgh signed him. He's quick, solid defensively and has a good shot.

"My dream has always been to come over here and play," Jonsson said. "I know the best players in the world are here. It has the toughest players in the world.

"When I come to practice, I try to learn and work on things every day. I think you can't be good enough."

Johnsson's 151 games and Jonsson's 126 are second and third for most games played by a player taken last in the NHL Draft.

In 1980, Philadelphia drafted Andy Brickley last and he finished his career with 385 games. Only seven of the 31 players taken last have played in the NHL, but the other four played only a handful of games.